The OMHA and CoachThem are excited to reveal the winners of the OMHA Team of the Month for November!

The program is aimed at recognizing minor hockey teams in the province making a positive impact on the ice and in their communities who demonstrate all of the positives that hockey has to offer.

This award isn’t about going undefeated during the month or scoring hat tricks, it’s about stories of teamwork and perseverance, leadership and being good role models in and around the rink. We want to hear the stories of food drives, helping a teammate, making new friends and having fun!

Three teams will be selected every month, with each coach receiving a CoachThem prize pack. 

Brampton U11 AA: The team, as always, was engaged both on and off the ice. On the ice the team was successful going 5-0-1 in the Orangeville Fall Classic winning the championship in a shootout. However, off the ice, the team was even more impressive raising just shy of $4000 for the Terry Fox Foundation. The players have also committed to being volunteer helpers in the Timbits Learn to Play program and continue to give back to their community. Last season this team won the grand prize in the Ford Skills and Drills competition for their engagement in the community throughout the season and have continued giving back this year as well!

Orangeville U8 MD: A very positive group of kids. They are proud of their community and giving back through food drives and general great attitudes toward people. Hard working and just all around great kids. Very strong love for the game of hockey!

Upper York U15 BB: The team should be recognized as a role model of what minor hockey is all about. Since the beginning of the season, this coaching staff (including a nonparent coach) have exemplified and instituted lessons and expectations of model behavior of what being part of a team is, not just for hockey but as humans. Our team has run two very successful fundraising campaigns that both included charitable donations from the proceeds ($500 donation to YMHC Youth Mental Health Canada and $250 to Canadian Breast Cancer Society.)

For the entire month of October, we ran a "PINK IN THE RINK" campaign where 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Breast Cancer Society, this campaign included a 5KM run, as well as a raffle for a pair of Gold Leaf tickets and finished with a $3,000 donation. The Leaf tickets were actually donated back from one of our players who won them as part of a personal achievement, which is just one of the many examples of the "give back mentality" this team is creating.

Our initiatives have sparked other teams in our association who are now following suit with additional campaigns to help support the Canadian Cancer Society, which as a parent, makes us proud that our kids are learning what being a role model is all about.

In lieu of a Christmas party and player gifts, this year our team has agreed to hold a family party hosted by a teammate, where each family will bring an unwrapped toy for the Sick Kids Foundation and two pounds of nonperishable food for our local foodbanks.

I could brag about the fact this team has won its first 2 tournaments, that they have nominated their own captain and assistants, that they have created team building rituals before each game that includes a huddle where they each mention something about one of their teammates that brings value, but that is not what makes this team special. It is the environment that has been created by having the right leadership in place, every coach on the team is aligned with the same goal, to display consistency, clear communication, high expectation, high reward mentality and most importantly, a requirement of respect that comes from leading by example.

Please note previous submissions are still eligible throughout the season. You do not need to resubmit every month.